We have just launched a new version of our mobile app to put a dent in this problem by helping people reduce the cost of their debt. The updated tool guides members through the process of reducing the cost of credit card and auto loan debt, with recommendations on everything from refinancing to payment strategies.

​As part of its mission of making financial progress possible for everyone, Credit Karma is launching in Canada. Canadians will have free access to their credit score and full credit report, updated as often as once a week.

When shoppers hit the counter of their favorite retailer this holiday season, they may be asked to sign up for the store’s branded credit card in exchange for a discount on their purchase. The cards are often a better deal for the stores than they are for consumers. Here is why.

Credit Karma invited more than 1,000 of our more than 60 million members to take a quiz designed by our own Chief Consumer Advocate, Bethy Hardeman, to see how many understood how credit works. Some financial concepts are better understood than others, we discovered.

A recent Credit Karma survey of “adulting” activities found that the only maintenance task the majority of respondents reported as regularly performing was taking their cars in for service. Overall, people are as vigilant about monitoring their credit rating as they are about going to the dentist, even though both are preventative steps that can save thousands of dollars and a lot of future pain.

How financial concepts are presented can have a big impact on how people feel about their bank statement. A newCredit Karma survey shows that the closer fine print is to language people use to talk to their friends, the more likely they are to find it not just helpful, but trustworthy.

The CARD Act went into effect in 2009 as a way to protect college students and their credit scores from the danger of too easy debt sweetened by branded swag. The results have been dramatic and part of a larger trend in the credit industry.